Palesa Mokubung’s magical runway show at SA Fashion Week brought the essence of Africa to the Sandton rooftop.
The Indigo Spring/Summer 2018 collection by her brand Mantsho was woven out of her love for travel.
“I thought about countries I have travelled to and the ones I want to travel to, and then I took my soul as the thread and connected all of them and then translated that into fabric that is reminiscent of the indigo fabric made in Mali.
“The collection has a little bit of Kenya in the shoes, Nigeria in the little lace we used, there is a little bit of Botswana and influences of South Africa as well.”
For her the whole collection was about threading the continent and presenting it to the eyes of the public.
“Liberation needs to come in doses. This thing we are doing is a marathon and not a sprint. I focused on elements: what is it from this country that I feel and where does it take me? I was just the common thread, a soul between them.”
Her journey with Mantsho started in 2004. Before deciding to go solo, she worked with the iconic Stoned Cherrie brand. Growing up, Mokubung didn’t know she would go into fashion.
Palesa Mokubung creation in the Indigo Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Picture: Supplied
“I just knew that it would be something in the arts because I come from a creative background.”
After her matric year she went to enquire about arts courses, and her mother encouraged her to get some information on fashion design.
“When I went to enquire, it had the shortest queue, so I decided to go for it. After I made that choice, I made sure that I would be good at it and to really explore the artistic side I knew I had.”
Palesa Mokubung creation in the Indigo Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Picture: Supplied
Mokubung studied at a technical college for a year before joining Stoned Cherrie.
“I had walked into a shop and Nkhensi (Nkhensani Nkosi) liked what I was wearing and I started working there; literally that’s how it happened.”
Three years after starting at the successful brand, Mokubung, in early 20s, was working in overdrive.
Palesa Mokubung creation in the Indigo Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Picture: Supplied
“Stoned Cherrie was such a force right from the beginning. We were always busy and I couldn’t carry on with school, I was burnt out.”
She wanted to start her own brand.
“I entered some competitions and won one; that gave me an exit leap.
“Because of who I was as an artist, there was a lot of other things I was interested in that I knew I would be good at. If I wanted to go into interior design, I would have been one of the best.
“I wanted a brand that would fuse all my interests and house them under the same umbrella.”
Palesa Mokubung creation in the Indigo Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Picture: Supplied
She chose Mantsho as her brand name because it was uniquely South African.
Speaking on the South African fashion industry, Mokubung said: “It’s a trial-and-error thing. There are designers who want to go mainstream, some who prefer bespoke wear; people like Rubicon do well with private clients.
“There is enough for everybody. There is no one way to do business; it all has to do with what works for you.
“The industry is a ‘machine’ field and we are all little parts of this big car called fashion,” she enthused.